The Indian Odyssey of Michael and Nix

After our brief stint in Bali, we’re back in the welcome familiarity of India. Whilst it was great to connect with the crew, Bali is a bit too money grabbing for our tastes. We were charged $50 to arrive, charged for nearly anything and everything during our stay (a cup of hot water for example!) then charged another $40 to leave. Think we’d rather do Cambodia next time ;) Or just stick to India!

We were given seats over the wing on the plane at Denpasar. Before we took off I noticed a long bit of metal sticking out from one of the flaps. I pointed it out to Nix who agreed that it didn’t look right, so we took a photo which was relayed to the Captain. The result was a delayed flight while ground crew got ladders out to examine the offending poky thing. We looked on as a “technician” shoved the metal rod back in by hand then give the thumbs up. As I saw this I noticed the Malaysian Airlines motto on the inflight entertainment screen proudly proclaiming “Safety is our first priority”. Hmmm. Maybe not.

The plane managed to take off, so the bush mechanics must have worked. We flew through loads of turbulence (the fasten seat belt sign was on and hot drinks were a no no for the duration of the flight) and lightning storms, all the while keeping our eye on the dodgy rod. I’m not sure why we did so. What would we be able to do if it fell out? Nada other than Ram Nam ;) Storms over the Pacific are an impressive sight to behold. We arrived at Chhatrapati airport in one piece shortly after midnight, had the usual arguments with Mumbai rickshaw drivers, and eventually made it to Laiq’s in the wee small hours of the morning. He is now the proud owner of two rescued kittens, which jumped on us continually as we tried to sleep on the lounge floor. No sleep till Cape Town ;)

Mumbai is so much more dirty and hectic than Bali, and yet I feel so much more at home. If you take India at face value I would appear to be mental to prefer it over a Pacific island. Mental and/or a masochist.... I got the shits at 2am last night. Velcome in India! It’s good to be back ;) Speaking of backs – whilst in Bali mine was annihilated (again) by bites of unknown origin. My legs were nailed too. Wikkid. Time to dose up on the antihistamine. There are some things I won’t miss about travelling – being a pincushion for biting insects is one of those!

All aboard the change train once more when we return to Cape Town. In fact, we never really get off the change train do we? It simply keeps on rolling.... We have had an incredible 6 months in India. Before we left Nix had a moment of worry that we should perhaps invest the money we’d saved in land rather than a trip to India. I suggested that India would provide us with experiences that money cannot buy, and it seems to have done just that. We have loved being here – through the good, bad and downright wrong (India has more than it’s share of wrong). Now the trick is to take what we have learnt and apply it consistently at home. I’m glad I’ve finally let go of the idea of chasing "success" in music. At the risk of sounding like a walking cliche, it feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Nix feels the same about her photography. Time for both of us to branch out and enjoy a change of scene ;) Who knows where the next leg of our journey will take us.... We need to approach the challenges with the same openness, positivity and fearlessness as we have done with each difficulty faced in India. Ram willing, we’re resolved to return to India once a year to recharge our spiritual batteries. We no longer consider this a nice thing to do, it’s a necessary thing to do..... I’m looking forward to continuing my adventures in harmonium in the meantime..... A big thank you to India and its people – you all rock. See you again soon....